91热爆

Another key member of the team that doesn’t appear on camera but is responsible for helping guide us through the journey of the first year is our composer Jean-Marc Petsas.

We wanted every animal to have its own distinctive feel.

Jean-Marc Petsas

This is what Jean-Marc had to say about the process behind composing the soundtrack:

At an early stage in the edit, before having a picture to work to, I composed sketches for each animal. We wanted every animal to have its own distinctive feel. To help guide me, the Series Producer and I wrote down a few words per animal; words that helped define their differences and their stories. This really influenced how I would approach the score and choose instrumentation for each one.

For example, we described the Hyenas as a very misrepresented animal, very intelligent with complex etiquette in a completely female-led hierarchy. Some words we came up with were majestic, powerful, and unique. So I decided to use a female choir as the main instrument because I thought it wouldn't normally be associated with this animal. Then I tuned most of the choir down a bit so it didn't feel too feminine or human. But it still had a strong sense of female power, and a majestic beauty to it, especially when coupled with the brass and drums.

In Uganda with Nyakabara, an extremely rare baby mountain gorilla, we discussed how enchanting and endangered she and her habitat are, and despite the gorillas' heavy appearance there is a real delicateness to them. The gorilla score features deep low short overblown flutes - they feel powerful yet playful, and sound almost like the grunts and breaths of the gorillas. The long spacing between the phrases gives a sense of space and isolation, also a hint of danger perhaps. I wanted a dynamic range of emotion, from a playful, mischievous quality to a beautiful delicate string parts or epic orchestral swells.

We felt the series could have two types of music; one being a memorable recurring theme, which would have the same feel and similar instrumentation for all the animals - this would help connect the many narratives and give a sense of identity for the series. The other type of music would be more animal or location specific, with different instruments and styles, depending on the character and setting so that we could celebrate the richness and diversity of the series.

There is also a simple two-chord motif which plays over the title card - it seemed to work well in capturing the sense of wonder, fragility and hope that reflects the spirit of the series.